Water motor



Nov. 4, 1930. F, FACHNIE 1,780,584

WATER MOTOR Filed Feb. 7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l VIIIA III/0357111111 11.

amnion Trad Dakar F. FACHNIE Nov. 4, 1930.

WATER MOTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 7, 1929 l l l zl'wuemtov Bad F20/272- Z'e dttomwq Patented Nov. 4, 1930 FRED, FACI-INIE, F wrrn'now,WASHINGTON WATER Moron '1 Application fil ed February 7, 1929. s r a lq- 333 19? l This invention relates to Water motors, and moreparticularly to a water motor intended for operation by the current of arunning stream.

' An important object of the invention is to provide adevice of thischaracter which may be readily and cheaply manufactured and which willprovide an efficient and durable motor structure delivering a smootheven power driveat a desired point.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a device of thischaracter where the construction issuchthat the blades are alwaysassured of proper submergence and 1 means are provided for preventingaccidental I disengagement of these blades with the bot tom of thestream.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in theaccompanying draw-- 539 ings, wherein for the purpose of illustration pp p p a from a right angle being such that the entire series of bladesis uniformly spaced about is shown a preferredembodime nt of my i11-vention and where1n:

Figure 1 1s a side elevation of a water motor constructed in accordancewith my invention; t

Figure 2 1s a sectional view therethrough;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the v v H I a I p I turbed to anextent that the si'derslip propeller shaft;

3 Figure 4 is a longitudinal. sectional view '8 through the propellershaft showing the means of securing the blades in position thereon. 1Referring now drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a raft,which is preferably in the form 'of'parallel pontoon elements 11connected adjacent their forward and rear ends by braces 12, whichmaintain-the elements in a predetermined spaced relation. The forwardends o-f these elements will be-provided with i any suitable: means topermitthe raft to be secured to anchors orthe bank of a stream, as

' desired. Extending downwardly froml-the pontoon elements adjacent theforward and rear ends thereof are convergent braces'13, the lowerendsof, which have secured thereto bearings 14: withinwhich operate ahorizontal shaft 15.- The forward bearing 14 is pref-1' erably connectedwith the pontoon elements; f by upwardly and. forwardly incl ningbraces,

v hereinafter more particularly to the this character may bevery readilymanufac v 'Inorder to insurethe blades against c'on-' indicated at'Tl5;The forward end of the, shaft is con'nectedin any suitable manner as,for example, by chain and sprocket gearing illustratedat 16 with ashaft17 mounted I in bearings 18 carried by the forwa rd.braces. 12.,Thi'sshaftgl7 is at present illustrated as having a' pulley 18 attachedthereto and is referred to as a'power take-off shaft. to f j LSecured'to the ,shaftjare a plurality of blades"19, these"bla desbeinguniformly. spaced along the shaft between the bearings andeachcomprising a straight strip ofmaterial, the, central portion 20 of whichper; p'e'ndicularly ,relatedifto I the shaft and the eiid'portions 21 ofwhich areoppositely flexed ortwis'ted toplace them at'an angle ofbetween 51v and 10 to such central portion.

i Adjacent blades aredisposed at substantially right "anglessto oneanother, the, variation of'the current against thebladegdoesfnotinterfere with:properfaction of'the current 0" upon the next succeedingblade and by em ploying a small angle or pitch for thebl'ad'e'," tiiefthrust' obtainable is increased and the operation-of the shaftsteadied: Bladesiof tured' and in event anything comes in 'con- .ta cttherewith causing th'eblade tobecome bent, maybe very readilystraightened.

tactlwith the bottom-the stream, due" to reduction in the' level.jthereof, I secure toopposite ends of theponto'onsi rigid leglele-vinents' 22; the lower ends of which: are arranged in a planeparalleling-the p'ontoonsi and ,belowthe path movement i'of the blades;[These legs, in "ever rt the stream low? ,ers to a predetermined extent,-willengag fe t upon the"bottom thereof, supporting the ontoons-andthuspreventthe blades from beingfidamagedi Since the' blades' are aiiblades and the sprocket to the shaft 15, this shaft is made composite,comprising an inner rod 22 surrounded by a series of sleeve elements 23.Nuts 24 at opposite ends of the rod serve as a means for compacting thesleeve elements and causing them to grip Washers 25 disposed at oppositesides of the sprocket of the shaft and at opposite sides of the variousblade elements.

Each blade element is formed with a central. opening 26 for the passageof the rod 22. This structure further facilitates maintenance of theshaft against longitudinal movement,,as certain of the sleeve elementswhich extend through the bearings 14 may be made of the same length asthe width of these bearings and washers 27 disposed at opposite endsthereof which are of greater diameter than the bearing and whichaccordingly engage opposite end faces of the bearing to hold theshaftsin its proper position. This structure not only maintains theshaft against movement but provides a structure wherein any of theelements may be very readily replaced and the sleeves which ac-s tuallyform the wearing surface coacting with the bearings may be readilyreplaced in event any loosene ss occurs at this point.

Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of a certainrange of change and modification without materially departing from thespirit of the-invention, I do not limit myself thereto except ashereinafter claimed.

I claim A water motor of the character described comprising incombination, a pair of pontcons, a pair of bearings dependingly securedto saide'p ontoons and adapted to be 7 positioned in a stream of runningwater, a Vshaft loosely mounted 1n said bearings, a. sleeve posit onedabout said shaft and en gaging said bearings, said sleeve comprisingsignature.

FRED FAGHNIE.

a'p-lurality of intermediate sections, a pluv rality of propeller bladesloosely'mounted on said'shaftand positioned between said intermedlatesleeve sections, said shaft havingthreaded opposite end portions, a nutthread-- ably positioned on each end of said shaft I andadapted to forcesaid sleeve sections inwardly whereby to cause said sleeve sections I torotate coactively with the rotation of said blades, a sprocket membermounted on one of said sleeve sect ons, a dr ven smember mounted on saidpontoons and connected to said sprocket, flexible means connected tosaidsprocket on-said sleeve and said driven member whereby torotate saiddriven meme,

oer cooperatively with they rotation of said sprocket, and guard meansdependingly se-

